Best Online Casinos of 2018

Welcome to LegitGamblingSites.com, and specifically to the online casino page. We’re going to cover a lot of ground here, so let us give you a brief snapshot of what you can expect.

We’ll show you how to pick the best casino sites online, which sites we recommend (and why), and we’ll guide you to our best resources on gambling so that you can educate yourself to expert level and increase your chances of winning.

On top of that, we’ll give you our thoughts on the future of casino gaming and highlight some great resources you can make use of if you fall into problem gambling. We want you to have fun, but we want you to do it responsibly, and we’re here to help if things go sideways.

Importantly, all of these top online casino sites share the following traits:

Best Variety of Deposit Options and Fastest Payouts

Top-Class Software and Entertaining Casino Games (For Both Desktop and Mobile)

Ranked and Rated to Ensure We’re Only Recommending the Top Online Casinos

We rank the sites listed above according to specific criteria our team of experts has developed through experience. In the next section, we’ll show you what we look for in an online casino before we add it to our “best online casinos” list, and then we’ll cover some of the other key points mentioned above.

Selecting Legitimate Casino Sites

Picking the best online casinos is a little like picking a great bottle of wine – it takes time to learn, and there’s nothing that can replace experience. The LGS team has decades of collective experience between us, and we’ve developed a specific set of rules for choosing which casinos make our list and which don’t. We also give these factors a score, which helps us decide where on the list to place each site.

Let’s take a look at some of the things we consider now. While you’ll see trustworthiness and security at the top (it’s priority number one), all of these factors are equally important, and none should be overlooked.

Trustworthiness and Security

There are a few key things to look for when assessing whether or not a casino is trustworthy and safe/secure. The following come into play at this stage:

Security – Have you ever visited a site and noticed the HTTPS:// before the web address? Did you know that the “S” is crucially important? It means the connection is secure and makes use of SSL encryption to cloak all data in a virtually impenetrable protective wall. Almost all legit casino sites will have encrypted connections.

History – It may seem obvious, but unless you know the big operators from the newbies, you won’t know how to figure out a casino’s history. We look at who is running the site, how long they have been in operation, what other sites they run or have run before this one, and how players feel about all of these. It also goes without saying that we assess the history of the individual site in question.

Licensing – The best online casinos will have valid gaming licenses from trusted jurisdictions. Not all casino licenses are equal in value, though. We assess exactly what iGaming licenses an online casino has and what weight that license holds. For example, a UK or Malta license automatically sends positive signals.

Reputation – While this ties in with the history of the site, it’s distinct in its own right. We check casino blacklists and scam-watching sites which aim to identify and call out rogue casinos. In fact, we’ve created our own blacklist and rogue casino guides. Check them out using the buttons below.

Bonuses and Promotions

We’ve written an entire guide on casino bonuses and promotions, so there’s no need to double back over that information again here. This section covers:

The subtle differences between different types of bonuses the best online casinos offer, including deposit bonuses, cash back bonuses, free spins, and loyalty bonuses.

The pros and cons of each bonus, including minimum deposits, wagering requirements, and withdrawal restrictions. If you don’t know what these terms mean, don’t worry; we explain them.

An insider’s view of some of the small print which comes attached to these offers and teaches you how to quickly find/identify important information in the small print. Trust us; there’s a big difference between the terms and conditions of legit casinos online and the ones on unfair, sneaky sites.

Game Variety

Game variety is one of the most important elements of the top rated online casinos. After all, you would be angry if you signed up to play live dealer blackjack only to find that the casino doesn’t offer live dealer games, wouldn’t you?

While it’s important that a casino offers a wide variety of games, including video slots, table and card games like blackjack and roulette, video poker, live games, and perhaps some novelty games, quality is much more important. We would much rather recommend a casino with 200 solid, high-quality games than one with thousands of second-rate games which freeze, jump, or have subpar features.

The LGS ranking system balances variety with quality. Somewhere on that thin line lies the ideal casino, and we aim to get as close to it as possible when recommending sites.

Ranked and Rated for Quality

While all of these elements are important, it would be impossible to differentiate between casinos without some sort of scoring and ranking system. That’s exactly what our reviews are there for. We get into detail in our reviews, discussing everything from trustworthiness to games to bonuses to alternative features to the various pros and cons of the site we’re reviewing.

Click any of the buttons below to be taken to the page which explains more about what you’re interested in. These pages will give you insight into how we rank and rate our casinos and identify the best online casinos. The first button takes you to our reviews page, where you can check out some of the reviews for yourself.

Other Top-Rated Online Casinos

We understand that no two casino players are exactly the same. One of the best things about the internet is that it connects everyone, from everywhere, from all walks of life, and we can all enjoy our favorite casino games instantly.

However, who’s to say that the best online casinos for you is the best site for someone else?

You might want to play slots from a mobile device in the US, while another player might hope to play video poker from his or her laptop in Australia or the UK. Naturally, what suits you won’t necessarily work for someone else.

No matter what your situation is, we’ve got you covered. Whatever type of casino you’re looking for, device you’re using, betting limits you’re comfortable with, or games you want to play, we have designed pages especially for you.

Best Online Casinos by Location

If you’re not based in the US, the following pages will be useful. If you’re not from one of the following locations, either, don’t worry; there are still plenty of casinos which will accept you (in most cases). Just skip to the reviews section if none of the following links apply to you.

The Best Online Casinos by Category

Remember how we said earlier that no two players are alike? Well, that’s where the following pages will come into play. Whether you’re looking for an established site, a new casino site, a site which is compatible with your specific mobile device, or one which is guaranteed safe and fair, the following links will guide you to exactly what you’re looking for. Check them out.

Guide to Casino Gambling

There’s so much to know and understand about casinos that many players are unaware of (especially new players). Even those who have been playing for years are often shocked when they begin to understand things like house edge and how casinos are designed in such a way as to keep you there for as long as possible.

Learning exactly how the games work (math included), how casinos are designed, some of the marketing and design tricks they use, and how casinos might evolve and change in the future are all covered in the following sections. Think of this as your free casino education.

Learning to Play

Even though you might encounter hundreds (or even thousands) of games at a reputable online casino, the truth is that there are only a handful of core games. All of the others are variants of these “base” games.

That said, we understand that it can be difficult to understand the differences between blackjack, baccarat, craps, and video poker, to name a few, at least when you start playing. That’s why we’ve created these expert-written guides to show you how to play, what some of the important rules of each game are, and how to maximize your chances of winning through simple and easy-to-implement strategies.

Click any of the buttons below to be taken to the respective game guide page. If you’re a total beginner, don’t worry; our guides have been written in such a way that you’ll be able to understand even if it’s your first time playing the game in question.

Understanding Casinos Inside and Out

There’s no doubt about it – when you sit across from the dealer at a brick-and-mortar casino or you’re playing in an online casino, you’re playing a game in which the house is trying to get your money, and you’re trying to get theirs. It’s a zero-sum game – somebody wins, and somebody loses…every single time.

We believe that the key to winning on a more consistent basis is to understand as much as you can about casinos and how they work/operate.

For Example

Did you know that each game has a built-in house edge which gives the casino a mathematical advantage over you?

Picking the right game (or the right variant of a game) could mean the difference between the casino having a 2% advantage and a 15% advantage (or more). Understanding this allows you to make better, more informed decisions about which games to play and how to develop winning strategies.

Yet the house edge isn’t the only thing you’ll want to understand about casinos. Understanding how casinos operate from a business perspective, the tricks they use to get you to keep gambling even after you’ve scored a big win, and how casinos operate in general is also crucial if you want to stand as much of a chance as possible of walking away in the money.

“Know thy enemy,” Sun Tzu said in The Art of War. We wouldn’t exactly call casinos an enemy, as such, but when it comes to playing games, they’re certainly our opponent. Understanding them is the key to beating them. Check out the following pages to begin your journey into understanding casinos better.

The World of Online Casinos

The above section will give you lots of sunlight into casinos in general, but this section zooms in and focuses specifically on online casinos.

Even if you’re tech-savvy and grew up in the internet era, there’s still a learning curve when it comes to playing at even the best online casinos. There are specific things you’ll want to understand about the following:

Online casino bonuses and how they work, including terms and conditions

Which casino software firms are trustworthy and produce world-class games vs. which ones you will want to avoid

How to identify the top online casinos and avoid the scam sites

The pages below have been written to fill you in on these crucial elements about online casinos. Even if you’ve been playing online for a while, take the time to check them out. Remember, knowledge is power, and the more you know, the better your chances of winning – or at least of avoiding the common traps new players fall into. If you think you already know it all, you might be surprised by what you learn.

The Future of Casino Gaming

If you’ve been using the internet since its early days, you’ll agree that it is virtually unrecognizable as compared to the internet of today. The web has changed so much since the first online casinos started popping up in the ‘90s, and there’s no doubt that it’s going to evolve and change more on the 5-, 10-, 25-, and even 50-year timelines.

It would be difficult to project how things might be in 50 years (perhaps entire casino resorts which you can hang out in for days in the virtual world?), but we can make some shorter-term predictions with a fair degree of accuracy based on the current trajectory of the industry and the trends within it.

The following pages will guide you through some of the changes which are likely to occur in the future. If you’ve ever wondered about the future of online casinos, these pages are for you.

Other Gambling Information

Entire books have been written on the subject of gambling, including all variations such as casinos, online casinos, sports betting, and so much more. There are so many facets to this fascinating pastime that you could spend a lifetime learning about it and still wouldn’t know everything.

This section will guide you through some of the coolest elements of gambling, and not just the online kind. We’ll cover:

Human Psychology in Gambling.

Things like the gambler’s fallacy (making predictions about the future based on the past) are flaws in human reasoning and make us less likely to win the casino games we’re playing. There are all kinds of “cognitive biases” and other errors in thinking which casino players need to understand and overcome if we want to become the best gamblers we can.

The Pros and Cons of Gambling.

It’s easy to focus on the glitz, glamor, and fun of gambling while not thinking about the addiction and other downsides. Likewise, it’s too easy to focus on the downsides without considering all the fun, fortunes made, and technological advances gambling has brought about. We look at the entire picture in a balanced way, considering both the light and dark sides of gambling.

The History of Gambling.

The truth is, people have been gambling since people traded shells and feathers and bartered animals and food. Yet there’s a more recent history which can be traced and has been documented. From where and how popular casino games got started to the legendary characters which are infused in gambling history to the story of online gambling from the ‘90s until now, gambling history is a rich and colorful tapestry which is well worth exploring and learning about.

Skill Games and Strategies.

There’s a misperception that gambling is purely luck and blind chance. While that might be true for some games (like most video slots), it’s not true of them all. Blackjack, poker, and video poker are some of the skill-based games which you can learn, master, and develop strategies for to give yourself the best odds possible. In some cases, you can even develop an edge over the house!

Gambling Destinations.

There is an entire section of the global travel industry dedicated exclusively to gamblers. From poker party cruises in the Mediterranean to lavish weekends at 5-star resorts in Vegas, gambling travel is seriously fun, and it’s possible to explore much of the world while playing cards or rolling dice as you go. There are also several famous gambling “hubs” around the world (not just Vegas) and infamous casinos which are a must-visit for gambling enthusiasts.

Gambling Culture.

Like all popular activities, gambling has evolved into a subculture all of its own. Songs have been written about it, myths and folk stories have developed about epic bets and fortunes made and lost (not to mention casino heists), and each game has developed its own language/parlance.

We cover a lot more than just this, of course. Click the “gambler’s guide” section below to begin learning about the intriguing world of gambling.

The Importance of Responsible Gambling

There’s no doubt that gambling is fun, and if it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be so many people engaged in it. Yet there’s a darker side to gambling as well, and as responsible actors within the gambling industry, we want to look after our readers proactively by making you aware of these pitfalls.

We also want to give you a helping hand if you do fall into problem gambling. There are tools and resources out there which can help if you know where to look.

The responsible gambling section will show you how to identify problem gambling, where to turn for help if you feel you might have developed a problem, and some of the tools you can use to manage problem gambling if it has a grip on you or someone you care for.

Important:

Let us be clear – problem gambling tears families apart, destroys careers, and ruins lives. It’s not something to be taken lightly or joked about. If you feel what started as a fun pastime is beginning to take control and have negative consequences in your life, the time to act is now. The sooner you get help, the easier your journey to recovery will be, believe us.

This section is dedicated to both recovery from problem gambling and proactively avoiding it to begin with. Whether it’s yourself or a loved one you’re trying to help, you’ll find lots of useful information in this section.